Pathos In Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail was a letter sent to a group of clergymen who had upset Dr. King because their criticism. Although the letter was addressed to the clergymen, Dr. King was referring to many groups in his letter. In other words, he was not just responding to the clergymen who criticized him, but to the whole state of Alabama. He stood up for their “constitutional and God-given rights” (King 381). Paragraph fourteen is the most emotionally appealing because he was sympathetic toward the African American Community. He was talking about the social injustices within the community, which is why his main message was brotherhood and justice. King used many pathos in his letter to paint a broader picture to show what hardships he faced during the civil rights capital. He used logos and ethos to justify his want for equality and as evidence that they have rights to be treated as human beings. One of King’s arguments in the letter was their constant “wait” for true racial equality. He explains how the African American community is expected to be satisfied with just being free. The African American community did not just want freedom, they were seeking the same …show more content…
Paragraph fourteen was a deep, emotional, and sympathetic. Letter from Birmingham Jail was not sent to the clergyman to defend his position, but to help make a stand for his brothers in sisters that went through that cruelty day and night. King did a great job of using the pathos, ethos, and logos to try and get the audience to see the racial inequality and segregation in his perspective. He needed the audience to understand that the white community was wrong for the inequality and segregation. Because of King’s argument over the “wait,” the racial inequality, and the sense of “nobodiness,” paragraph fourteen was his strongest and most persuasive part of his
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